What was supposed to be a one-day trip to Richmond for a basketball tournament ended with a several-day stay at the Children’s Tower after the 15-year-old suffered a season-ending knee injury. Now, 9 months later, he’s more than ready to get back in the game.
Myles Ingram is a gentle giant, an impact player in multiple sports and has more sneakers than you could imagine, but one moment on the basketball court almost derailed his future in athletics.
Myles had traveled from Maryland to the Richmond Convention Center for a basketball tournament last summer when, during the game, the unthinkable happened.
“He went up for a layup, and as he jumped his patella tendon ruptured and he broke his tibia,” remembered his mom, Vicky Ogbogu. Myles vividly remembers the exact moment.
“I felt a weird sensation, almost like a shock in my knee,” Myles explained. “When I hit the ground and saw my kneecap out of place, I realized how extensive the injury really was and that’s when I really started to feel the pain and knew this serious.”
Myles had to be rushed to the hospital. Luckily for him, the tournament was taking place just blocks from CHoR.
The official diagnosis: a widely displaced intra-articular tuberosity fracture. That means the break happened near the joint, extended into the joint and the fracture was severe. Not only that, Myles’ knee extensor mechanism, which allows the knee to straighten, suffered major damage. Without repair, Myles wouldn’t be able to walk, run, climb stairs or, of course, play sports.
Knee surgery was the first step in the recovery game plan
Dr. James Engels, chief of pediatric orthopaedic surgery, described the injury as not only extremely painful, but requiring a long recovery time.
The injury happened Thursday night, and by Saturday morning, Myles was in the operating room and Dr. Engels said the repair was extensive.
“We performed an arthroscopically-aided open repair with a combination of metal screws and suture anchors,” explained Dr. Engels. “His extensor mechanism was completely disrupted.”
Despite how complicated the procedure was, Myles’ mom said Dr. Engels completely put their minds at ease.
“Dr. Engels is superstar,” shared Vicky. “He is an excellent communicator and went above and beyond expectations. He visited the night prior to Myles’ surgery and detailed all aspects of his surgical strategy. This provided peace of mind to both me and my son.”
As they prepared for surgery, Myles and his mom faced another issue. They hadn’t planned on being in Richmond for more than a day and were not prepared for a multi-day hospital stay. But they didn’t have to worry -- the team at CHoR rallied around them and made sure they had everything they needed.
“Myles spent 3 days in the hospital and our care was 5-star,” remembered Vicky. “Most important for me was Myles’ comfort and safety. The doctors, nurses and CHoR staff delivered excellent care, communicated frequently and effectively and went above and beyond to ensure we were comfortable. In fact, since we hadn’t planned to be gone for so long, I had no clothes. The nurses were kind enough to locate items I could use during our stay.”
After the surgery, Dr. Engels thoroughly explained how the procedure went and discussed the post-care plan at length, which really stood out to Myles’ mom.
“These details demonstrate Dr. Engles' competency, professionalism and genuine commitment to successful patient outcomes,” said Vicky.
The return-to-play phase
Despite the complicated and intricate operation, physical therapy started right away. Myles was in motion right after he left the hospital.
“We placed him in PT immediately following his discharge,” said Dr. Engels. “The first phase was mostly passive motion and soft tissue mobilization.” This helps to restore mobility, reduce pain and break down scar tissue, and Myles gave 100 percent. And that level of dedication continued throughout his months of physical therapy.
“Myles is unique. He is a highly motivated, intellectual teenager,” described Dr. Engels. “He is very disciplined and this has served him well through his recovery. His family is also very supportive and nurturing and contributed to his success. He recognizes and appreciates this and really is a wonderful young man.”
Being a born competitor definitely helped Myles during the healing process.
“The mindset of being an athlete and loving sports helped me a lot through physical therapy,” explained Myles. “I had to focus on staying consistent and remind myself that just like in sports, not everything is going to go your way. That’s just a part of the grind for most athletes.”
Now, 9 months later, Myles is back at full agility, in his return-to-play phase and is looking forward to celebrating his 16th birthday in June, along with his twin sister.
“I feel great now,” said Myles. “I am fully ready to go back out there. I feel more free, fully recovered and faster because I have given my body such a long rest. I am just eager to get back playing.”
Although he was injured on the basketball court, Myles also shines on the football field and that’s where he is rejoining the world of sports.
“It was a tough process and an adjustment from being so active to suddenly not at all,” said Myles. ”I'm very thankful to CHoR and all the people who cared for me and helped along the way. I’m glad to be returning to Spring football later this month.”
His mom is so happy to see her son back doing what he loves and knowing he can put this injury behind him.
“I am most proud of the young man Myles is becoming,” says mom. “He is ambitious, thoughtful, stays out of trouble and gives thanks to God.”
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